VENICE, Italy -- Director Paul Thomas Anderson acknowledges that Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard was the inspiration for the title character in `'The Master," but says the focus of the film is the relationship between a charismatic spiritual leader and his troubled follower, not the movement itself.

The movie, set in the 1950s, stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a charismatic cult leader who captivates a tortured but sympathetic World War II veteran portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix.

`'The narrative is just driven by these two guys, and their love for each other," Anderson told a news conference on Saturday ahead of the highly anticipated film's world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

Anderson sought to quickly dispel any speculation about the film's influence on his friendship with Tom Cruise, who starred in Anderson's 1999 film `'Magnolia" and whose Scientology beliefs are well-documented.

`'We are still friends. I showed him the film, and the rest is between us," Anderson said.

Anderson said the fact that Hoffman's character, Lancaster Dodd, was inspired by Hubbard `'is not an elephant in the room."

`'I really don't know a whole hell of a lot about Scientology, particularly now," he said. `'But I do know a lot about the beginning of the movement and it inspired me to use it as a backdrop for these characters."

Phoenix's character, Freddie Quell, is completely unhinged, unable to keep a job, drinking anything that will give him a buzz, including liquid siphoned from a ship's missile, and displaying a wide range of inappropriate behaviors throughout his journey in Dodd's entourage.

Phoenix, appearing in his first movie in several years, himself displayed some mildly erratic behavior during the news conference, fidgeting, lighting up several cigarettes and leaving the dais to go back stage at one point for two minutes.

Hoffman, Phoenix's costar, on one side and Anderson on the other tried to ignore the antics.

Phoenix responded to just one question, about how he approached the character, appeared impervious to the others, and he drew boos from news photographers when he cut his photo call off after just 14 seconds.

`'I'll just say, I'll say I don't think, maybe Paul gives, or gave me, the impression I had leeway. But I don't think I ever did," Phoenix said. `'I don't know where it comes from and I don't care."

Whether or not the aloof demeanor was sincere or an act was impossible to tell. But Phoenix's appearance in a documentary by his brother-in-law, actor Casey Affleck, premiered in Venice in 2010, about Phoenix's seemingly downward spiral caused many to speculate whether the whole thing was a publicity stunt.

In Phoenix's return to film, the first glimpse of the depth of Quell's troubles comes on R&R in Hawaii in the waning days of the war.

He builds an erotic sand sculpture of a naked woman on a beach crowded with sailors. As they inspect his work, Quell mimics sexual acts with the sand figure that go on for just a few seconds longer than is really funny. That the antics are a cover for a painful loneliness comes through minutes later when he lays down next to a carefully sculpted figure, head nestled near the breasts, offering an unreturned embrace.

After the war, he can't keep a job and kills, or nearly kills, a migrant worker with the poisonous swill he distills. The former sailor seeks drunken refuge on a ship that is carrying Dodd, his family and followers from California to New York via the Panama Canal.

As the two grow closer, Dodd's wife, played by Amy Adams, begins to worry about Quell's true intentions and if his destructive behavior will endanger their movement. But Dodd won't give up his protege.

Hoffman said the two characters are more similar than they appear.

"They're both wild beasts I think ultimately. One of them has just tamed it somehow and he's trying to teach other people how to do that, but ultimately that's where the doubt and the whole reluctant prophet thing comes in," Hoffman said. `'Ultimately he wants to be wild like Freddie is, so there's this real attraction there over that. `'

Hoffman said he can relate to the desire to act without reservation, asking: `'Why can't I just run naked through the streets of Venice?"

`'Why can't I just do that and have it be OK, you know. Is it possible that I could just have sex with everyone I see today?' No, it can't. But I wish that was possible, so I think I'm going to go find my master and he'll teach me how not to do that."

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Fall Movie Preview 2012

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Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan and Isla Fisher star as the three worst bridesmaids this side of Kristen Wiig in "Bachelorette." Based on the stage play by director and writer Leslye Headland, the hilarious film debuted on video on demand and iTunes in early August and earned nearly $500,000 during its first weekend.

The Fareed Zakaria story? "The Words" stars Bradley Cooper as an author who stole the work of another man (Jeremy Irons). Zoe Saldana, Dennis Quaid and Ben Barnes co-star in the CBS Films release.

Find Nemo again, this time in three dimensions.

The fifth (!) "Resident Evil" film has the tagline "Evil Goes Global." OK, then. Milla Jovovich once again stars, while Michelle Rodriguez returns to the franchise for the first time since the original "Resident Evil" in 2002.

If you believe the strong reviews "Liberal Arts" received after it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, Josh Radnor's second film is a major leap from the "How I Met Your Mother" star's directorial debut, "happythankyoumoreplease." In "Liberal Arts," Radnor stars as a college admissions officer who falls for a student named Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen).

"The Master," Paul Thomas Anderson's first feature since "There Will Be Blood" in 2007, is already one of the most discussed films of the year. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix star as a religious zealot and his protege, respectively, in a story that reportedly mirrors L. Ron Hubbard's formation of Scientology in the 1950s. Oscar buzz is already humming around "The Master," which should also become one of the most discussed films of 2013 by the time awards season comes to a close next year.

Karl Urban is the law in this gritty reboot of the popular comic "Judge Dredd." Expect fanboys to be out in force for this one: The hyper-violent "Dredd" debuted at Comic-Con in July to mostly high praise.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena star as L.A.P.D officers who stumble onto a drug ring in "End of Watch," the latest cops-and-robbers thriller from David Ayer ("Training Day"). Go ahead and google what the term "end of watch" means if you want some insight on where this film might end up.

Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller and Emma Watson star as three Pittsburgh teens coming of age with the help of David Bowie and The Smiths in Stephen Chbosky's adaptation of his own seminal novel.

A rising superstar isn't a rising superstar unless they've got an oft-delayed horror film coming out after they hit the big time. Enter "House At the End Of the Street" with "Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence.

Clint Eastwood returns to the screen for the first time since "Gran Torino" in 2008 for "Trouble With the Curve." The film -- directed by Eastwood protege Robert Lorenz and not the acclaimed actor/director himself -- focuses on the relationship an aging baseball scout (Eastwood) has with his daughter (Amy Adams). Justin Timberlake co-stars and takes off his shirt. Just FYI.

Rian Johnson's twisty sci-fi action thriller stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a mob hitman tasked with killing his future self (Bruce Willis). Gordon-Levitt -- who also starred in 2012 films "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Premium Rush" -- spent hours in make-up each day to look like a younger version of Willis. Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels and Emily Blunt co-star.

"Inspired by actual events," "Won't Back Down" tells the story of two mothers (Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal) who attempt save the the school that their children attend. This marks Davis' first major role since losing Best Actress to Meryl Streep at the 84th annual Academy Awards.

Tim Burton's second feature of 2012 (the first was the derisible bore "Dark Shadows") is based on his own 1984 short film of the same name. "Frankenweenie" tells the story of a young boy named Victor Frankenstein, who brings his recently deceased dog back from the dead. Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Christopher Lee and Martin Short provide the vocal talent while Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O performs one of the songs on the film's soundtrack. This one will be huge with the Hot Topic crowd.

Elizabeth Banks produced this a capella comedy, which stars Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow and Anna Camp as an all-female singing group trying to defeat their male counterparts at a college choir competition. Judging from the trailer, "Pitch Perfect" looks like "Bring It On" with songs, so it should be awesome.

Liam Neeson still has a very particular set of skills in "Taken 2."

Lee Daniels' "The Paperboy" stars Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, John Cusack and 2012 It-Boy Matthew McConaughey, but you'll probably want to see this fever dream because Kidman's character pees on Efron's character. Yep.

Because "Paranormal Activity 4" doesn't come out until the middle of October, "Sinister" is here for all your haunted house needs. Ethan Hawke stars in the low-budget horror film, which debuted to strong reviews at SXSW back in March.

Ben Affleck directs and stars in "Argo," a drama about how the CIA used the guise of a fake film to extract six Americans from Iran during the hostage crisis. (The story is so unbelievable, it could only be true.) Warner Bros. is so high on "Argo," they moved the film from its original September release date to October to take advantage of growing Oscar buzz. Affleck's latest will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Paul Blart: Ultimate fighter? Kevin James goes boom in "Here Comes the Boom," which looks like "Warrior" mixed with a Happy Madison comedy.

Co-written by Lena Dunham, "Nobody Walks" tells the story of an impetuous young girl (Olivia Thirlby) who moves to Los Angeles to finish her student film, but gets caught between a suburban married couple (John Krasinski and Rosemarie DeWitt).

It's Tyler Perry like you've never seen him before! The cottage industry drops his Madea drag for the time being to play the title character in "Alex Cross." A grotesquely jacked Matthew Fox co-stars as the film's antagonist, while Edward Burns provides support as Cross' possibly doomed partner. The film is based on the James Patterson novel "Cross." Morgan Freeman previously played Cross onscreen in "Kiss the Girls" and "Along Came A Spider."

Brad Pitt reunites with his "Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" director Andrew Dominik for the more succinctly titled "Killing Them Softly," a crime drama based on the 1974 George V. Higgins novel "Cogan's Trade."

Fourth verse, same as the first, second and third. At this rate, count on "Paranormal Activity 5" to hit theaters in October of 2013.

Based on a true story, "Chasing Mavericks" follows Jay Moriarity (Jonny Weston), a California high school student in search of the massive waves known as mavericks. Gerard Butler is Jay's onscreen spirit guide, while one-time "O.C." nemesis Taylor Handley plays one of the film's bad guys. The trailer for "Chasing Mavericks" is aces, though that might have something to do with the outstanding use of Gym Class Heroes' hit single "Fighter."

UPDATE: "Big Wedding" has moved to April of 2013.
A night of too many stars? Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Robin Williams, Susan Sarandon, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried and Topher Grace star in "The Big Wedding," which surprisingly isn't a sequel to "New Year's Eve."

"Cloud Atlas" has one of the year's best trailers and casts (Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Jim Sturgess, Jim Broadbent). However, can Andy and Lana Wachowski (back behind the camera for the first time since "Speed Racer") and Tom Tykwer bring David Mitchell's sprawling 2004 novel to life on the big screen? That question is one of the biggest of 2012, and its answer will go a long way to deciding whether or not "Cloud Atlas" becomes a major Oscar player next year.

Director Josh Schwartz ("The O.C." and "Gossip Girl") makes the leap to the big screen with "Fun Size," a Halloween-set one-crazy-night movie that could recall the shaggy charm of "Adventures In Babysitting."

Formerly titled "The Surrogate" (as well as "Six Sessions"), "The Sessions" is an Oscar contender under any name. The film is a true-story account of a man (John Hawkes) stricken with polio who hires a sexual surrogate (Helen Hunt) to help him lose his virginity. Both Hawkes and Hunt are already among the favorites for Best Actor and Actress, respectively, and supporting star William H. Macy could have a shot at a nomination as well.

Robert Zemeckis' first live-action film since "Cast Away" in 2000 casts Denzel Washington as a hero pilot who may have been drunk when he safely crash-landed a tumbling airliner. "Flight" is set to close the New York Film Festival in October, and could be on the short list for Oscar. Regardless of awards bona fides, it's good to have Zemeckis back with the living after his sojourn to the uncanny valley for films like "Polar Express" and "A Christmas Carol."

RZA. Russell Crowe. Kung-fu. Be there.

It's "Toy Story" for video games! "Wreck-It Ralph" tells the story of a video game villain (voiced by John C. Reilly) who wants to become a hero. The charming trailer -- which features real video game characters from the past -- sets "Wreck-It Ralph" up as the type of kids' movie that adults will love too.

The long-delayed "This Must Be the Place" stars Sean Penn as a rock star-cum-Nazi hunter looking for the man who killed his father. But it's funny?

Or: "James Bond Rises"? Sam Mendes directs the latest Bond, which sort of looks like "The Dark Knight Rises" in all the best ways. Fingers crossed, however, that villain Javier Bardem doesn't ever speak through a ridiculous mask.

The final installment in the "Twilight" franchise will also provide fans with the chance to remember stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in better times. Ah, memories.

Following "Pride and Prejudice" and "Atonement," director Joe Wright teams with Keira Knightley for a third novel adaptation with "Anna Karenina." The melodrama should be an Oscar player in all categories, and might provide Knightley with her first Academy Award. After all, Oscar voters love the young ingenue. (See also past winners Natalie Portman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon and Charlize Theron.)

Like Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," "Life of Pi" comes from an acclaimed auteur (Ang Lee), is in 3D, and opens just before Thanksgiving. Twentieth Century Fox is likely hoping the similarities don't end there: "Hugo" went on to earn 11 Academy Award nominations and $184 million in worldwide grosses. Can Lee's adaptation of Yann Martel's best-selling novel turn the same trick?

David O. Russell's last film was the crowd-pleasing, Oscar-winning drama-comedy "The Fighter." The Weinstein Company is betting that lightning strikes twice with "Silver Linings Playbook," a drama-comedy about a man (Bradley Cooper) recently released from a mental institution who forms a relationship with one of his parents' neighbors (Jennifer Lawrence). Robert De Niro and Chris Tucker co-star in this adaptation of Matthew Quick's 2008 book.

When this long-delayed remake of "Red Dawn" was first conceived in 2008, stars Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson weren't actually stars. So, this one has that going for it, which is nice.

Not to be confused with "The Guardians of Ga'Hoole" (or the upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy"), "Rise of the Guardians" imagines a world where Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and other "Guardians" watch over the children of Earth and protect them from evil. Featuring the voices of Alec Baldwin, Chris Pine, Hugh Jackman and Jude Law.

Your precious is back. Peter Jackson returns to Middle-earth for the first of three "Hobbit" films.

Tom Hooper's last film, "The King's Speech," won Best Picture. Will his follow-up, an adaptation of "Les Miserables" do the same? If the 90-second teaser trailer has any say in the matter, "Les Miserables" very well might. Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and Samantha Barks star in the musical, which features all the actors singing live. In case you needed an added jolt of gotta-see.

Judd Apatow returns to the world he created for "Knocked Up" to check-in on the lives of Pete and Debbie (Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann) as they turn 40. The "This Is 40" trailers make the film seem like another winning dramedy from Apatow, who continues to cast his features to perfection: In addition to Rudd and Mann, Albert Brooks, Megan Fox, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Lena Dunham and John Lithgow all co-star. No word yet whether original "Knocked Up" stars Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl will appear.

Kathryn Bigelow's follow-up to "The Hurt Locker" focuses on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. Because simply being the next "Kathryn Bigelow movie" wasn't enough? Stop being such a show-off, "Zero Dark Thirty"!

Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts star as a couple torn apart by the 2004 Thailand tsunami in "The Impossible." The film seems like a sneaky Oscar dark horse -- especially if the complete feature packs as much of an emotional wallop as its stellar trailer.

The best part of seeing "Monsters Inc." in 3D is that the glasses can hide the tears in your eyes when Sulley has to say goodbye to Boo.

Kristen Stewart like you've never seen her before: Naked and performing sex acts on two men at once. If that doesn't get you excited, there's always this: "On the Road" is the long gestating adaptation of Jack Kerouac's seminal Beat novel, which everyone from Francis Ford Coppola to Brad Pitt wanted to bring to the screen.

David Chase's first project since "The Sopranos" cut to black is a small-scale indie film about a group of friends that form a band in the 1960s. James Gandolfini co-stars alongside a cast of mostly unknowns, all of whom probably never stopped believing.

Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen star as mother and son in this road trip comedy from Anne Fletcher ("The Proposal"). Place an early bet now that "The Guilt Trip" will be your mom's favorite movie of the holiday season.

The "d" might be silent, but the buzz surrounding Quentin Tarantino's newest film borders on deafening.

A late entry into Oscar season, "The Promised Land" stars Matt Damon as a salesman who comes to a small town with eyes on separating the townsfolk from their land. Things go awry when a schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook) and a young local (John Krasinski) get in the way. Krasinski and Damon wrote the script from a story idea by author Dave Eggers, while Gus Van Sant directs, reuniting him with Damon for the first time since the little-seen "Gerry" in 2002. The pair also memorably collaborated on 1998's "Good Will Hunting."